#iphone 17 — Modernist Delights

Telephone House, Lancaster, 2025

A boarded-up, beige four-storey office building labelled TELEPHONE HOUSE stands on a quiet street, with a yellow skip in front. The windows are broken or missing, and leafless trees line the pavement. The sky is partly cloudy and blue.

A five-storey, rectangular, tan-brick building with many windows, some boarded up, under a blue sky. A metal fire escape is attached. The building looks abandoned, and some lower windows are damaged. Neighbouring buildings and trees are partially visible.

A large, abandoned brick building with boarded-up lower windows, many broken upper windows, and overgrown vegetation in front. A metal fire escape is attached to the left side. The sky is blue with clouds.

A black SUV is parked beside a fenced building. The sun is setting behind a brick building with metal staircases. Shadows and reflections are visible on the windows, and the sky is partly cloudy with yellow and blue hues.

Telephone House, once home to a BT customer service centre, received planning permission for conversion into apartments in 2024, alas, the apartments did not materialise. Until then, it’s just a source of phone signal woes.

One more interesting tidbit, from the article above:

During the Cold War, the basement of Telephone House housed an emergency bunker to be used in the event of a nuclear strike on the Lancaster district. Although the bunker didn’t ‘officially’ exist, it was common knowledge amongst staff who worked there until the basement area was cleared towards the end of the ’80s.

Beaufort Court, Canary Wharf, London

Modern multi-storey office building with large glass windows, angular balconies, and external staircases. Surrounded by high-rise buildings, parked cars, and leafless trees. Two no entry signs and a bicycle are visible near the entrance on a cloudy day.

Modern concrete building with multiple staggered balconies and white railings, viewed from below. The structure has sharp angles and visible weathering. In the background, taller buildings and a blue sky with scattered clouds are visible.

64 Essex Road, Islington, London, 2025

Three-storey brick building with large vertical windows, geometric brick pattern around windows, a grocery shop named Mint Organic at street level. Several people stand and walk near the entrance. Bicycles are parked outside. The number 64 is visible.

Former Victorian warehouse with an attractive brick façade.

Hurricane Room signage, London, 2026

Vertical sign over a black door reads Hurricane Room Pool Bar Snooker with six green dots and one white dot. There’s an arrow pointing right at Entrance. A “For Sale” sign is on the door. A warning notice is on the wall above right.

Multistorey car fortress, Shoreditch, London, 2026

A multi-storey building at night features bold graffiti-style text on each balcony. The ground floor houses an American car wash with red, black, and white signage, brightly lit. Several cars are parked nearby under streetlights; the sky is dark.

Previously captured in daytime.

Holiday Inn Regent’s Park, London, 2026

A large, modern Holiday Inn hotel with beige concrete exterior, green signage, and British flags at the entrance. Trees, a taxi, and people are visible on the street in front of the multi-storey building, which stands on a sunny corner in an urban area.

A large, grey concrete building with many windows stands on a street corner. Trees line the pavement. There’s a hotel entrance with a sign saying Hilton. Several parked cars and a no entry sign are visible near the entrance.

Shadows of Odeon, Camden Town, London, 2026

A large, faded peach-coloured billboard atop a closed shop displays faint, barely readable text ODEON. The shopfront below, with blue trim and metal shutters covered in graffiti, is flanked by brick buildings. A woman sits at a bus stop in front.

Handrail detail, Václav Havel Airport, Prague, 2026

A wooden bannister with an angular corner is shown in the foreground, while another wooden bannister runs diagonally along a dark, marble-patterned wall in the background. The floor is grey with a textured surface, and part of a staircase is visible.

Within literal minutes of the plane touching down, I’ve already spotted:

This handrail
A concrete relief cemetery wall
A multi-storey car park
A glazed motorway stair barrier
A disused office block on a podium

Greyhound Bridge, Lancaster, 2026

A modern bridge with vertical supports spans a calm river, reflecting in the water. Sparse trees and urban buildings are visible in the background under a clear blue sky. The scene is tranquil, with even lighting and green foliage on the left.

Originally built for train traffic in 1911, it was then converted to a road bridge in 1972, following the closure of the railway. Until I checked Wikipedia, I was convinced it was built in the 1960’s, not least due to its’ modern appearance.

Wikipedia also gives me flashbacks to the 2018 closure of the bridge, and altering of the one-way system, which until now I had successfully excised from memory.